Departure

*Departure* (2016) by Sara Lee, in gouache and Japanese woodcut, presents a long, low silhouette of a walled settlement or island stretching horizontally across a calm expanse of water. The jagged skyline of towers and rooftops sits in flat grey-brown tones against a pale, softly banded sky of cream, blush, and grey, with the water below rendered in matching muted horizontal bands. The composition is spare and symmetrical, the dark landform isolated in the center of the frame between empty sky and empty water, giving the scene a still, muted atmosphere.